Minibeast hotels
Create habitats that support biodiversity and learn about beneficial insects.
Learning objectives:
- To find existing minibeast habitats
- To provide additional minibeast habitats
- To develop teamwork, collaboration and gross and fine motor skills
Curriculum links:
- Science: Environmental change can endanger living things
- Physical Education: Cooperate and build coordination skills
Jump to
Key vocabulary
Equipment
- One A5 piece of corrugated cardboard
- One 30cm piece of string
- Two 20cm pieces of string
- Pictures of minibeasts
Introduction
- Show minibeast pictures (spiders, woodlice, beetles and millipedes)
- Ask pupils: What types of minibeasts have you seen in the school grounds?
- In pairs, pupils look for minibeasts, noticing where they are living
- Demonstrate how to make a minibeast hotel - highlighting the need to work as a team to tie the string around the cardboard (please see instructions below)
Main activity
In pairs, pupils to move around the garden or outdoor space and collect leaves, small twigs etc
Pupils make a minibeast hotel by:
- Placing the natural items at one end of a piece of corrugated cardboard
- Laying a 30cm piece of string width-ways across the natural materials
- Rolling it up tightly
- Working together to tie a 20cm piece of string round both ends of the cardboard roll. One pupil will hold the cardboard roll while the other ties the string. Then they swap to assist with tying the other cardboard roll
- Tying the long piece of string in the middle to form a hook to hang the minibeast hotel
Pairs place their minibeast hotels in places minibeasts were found
Plenary and assessment questions
Plenary
Each pair to discuss and evaluate the skills used during this activity and something they did that helped them succeed.
Assessment questions
- What skills did we use?
- How effective was our teamwork?
- How else could we practise and develop our fine motor skills?
Additional information
This activity demonstrates how working with a partner successfully involves negotiation, close attention and encouragement. It highlights the potential for gardening activities to support children's mental and physical health and wellbeing.
There are a number of potential benefits from incorporating gardening activities into PE lessons. Gardening offers: a pleasurable form of exercise with a tangible purpose; the capacity to reduce stress and boost overall mental health; exercise that contributes to strength, flexibility and fine motor skills; and direct links to healthy eating habits.